Sunday, September 4, 2016

The Green Matcha Mile: Resorts World Manila's Matcha Festival

Everything matcha, from one end to the other, it's a tasty green matcha mile at Resorts World Manila.

Go mad for matcha at Resorts World Manila's unique Matcha Festival showcasing inventive dishes infused with a matcha spin. See green for the whole month of September and savor delightful matcha-inspired creations from Resorts World Manila's acclaimed dining establishments, including Impressions, Ginzadon, Prosperity Court, Cafe Maxims, and Franks; as well as Newport Mall's popular restaurants like Mr. Kurosawa, Johnny Kahuku, Kettle, UCC Cafe, Cafe Creole, Kettle, and many others. Read on and take a virtual leisurely stroll at the full length of Resorts World Manila's green matcha mile and experience the country's first ever Matcha Festival...

In addition to the culinary celebration of everything matcha at Resorts World Manila, Newport Mall will also feature a wide array of tasty matcha products with the Matcha Weekend Market at the RWM Plaza every weekend for the month of September. You can also enjoy a visual feast with the special Matcha Art Exhibit featuring dishes from around the world at the ground floor of Newport Mall to complete your matcha experience.

At the preview, Resorts World Manila's VP for Food & Beverage, Hubertus Kramer; and Director for Culinary Arts, Chef Cyrille Soenen, presented a delectable array of dishes prepared with the versatile matcha, adding a splash of vibrant colors and a burst of rich flavors to a variety of creative dishes for a new flavor experience.

"At Resorts World Manila, our goal is to thrill our guests in every possible way, and one way to do this is through the joy of food," shared Chef Cyrille Soenen. "We pay attention to what the world wants and craves, work to elevate it, and serve it to them on a silver platter. Matcha has managed to captivate a global following with its distinctive look and flavor. As a chef, I am happy to work with this surprisingly versatile ingredient, and provide new depths and colors to classic dishes." The wide range of both savory and sweet dishes made with matcha is impressive. Our tasty matcha experience began with the Matchadog (P 195 net) by Franks, with the signature Franks Inasal Sausage topped with a creamy matcha dressing, nori and vegetables. The savory richness is perfectly tempered by a subtle hint of bitterness from the matcha for balanced flavors. And it really works.

Ginzadon presented their colorful Deep-Fried Matcha Ice Cream (P 180 net) with the distinct sweetness of matcha ice cream coated with a light and crunchy deep-fried bread, dusted with matcha and garnished with candy sprinkles and fresh strawberries. The contrasting textures and sweetness of the matcha ice cream combine for a refreshing and sinfully indulgent dessert.

A slice of the croissant reveals the matcha's green hue in the delicate layers of fluffy dough, with the dark chocolate and almonds at the center. The dark chocolate and almonds pair well with the sharpness of the matcha for even more flavor. Prosperity Court's Matcha Crumbles (P 100 net) are another tasty treat not to be missed.

Pair your Green Tea Choco Almond Croissant with Cafe Maxims' rich and frothy Green Tea Latte, with the deep and nutty notes of coffee punctuated by the sweetness of matcha in every soothing sip.

It's amazing how Resorts World Manila's different establishments reinterpret classic desserts with the infusion of matcha's bold flavors, like the Matcha Overload (P 580 net) by Impressions. The delicate and indulgent selection of French desserts are given a fresh and flavorful new spin with matcha, highlighting matcha's versatility in four perfectly executed desserts, including Green Tea Gelato...

...the Red Bean Macaron drizzled with matcha...

...the rustic Matcha Cannele filed with matcha cream...

...and Chef Cyrille Soenen's signature Kouignette with Matcha, with rich buttery layers of dough and sharp matcha notes combining in a seamless blend. The bold notes of the matcha do not overpower the intricate desserts, pairing well with just the right level of sweetness. Franks, Ginzadon, Cafe Maxims, Prosperity Court, and Impressions, and that's just the first part of the flavorful green matcha mile at Resorts World Manila's one-of-a-kind matcha-themed festival...

Newport Mall's different dining establishments join the green fray with their own unique matcha creations, like the Nori Fried Chicken and Matcha Waffle (P 399) by Kettle. The traditional chicken and waffle combo is tweaked with an Asian matcha twist with Japanese-style fried chicken in nori and Cajun seasoning topped with white miso butter and green tea waffle. The matcha, nori, and white miso butter add unique layers of flavors to this comforting dish, transforming and reinventing it as a totally new dish.

The iconic sans rival is reinterpreted by Johnny Kahuku with their playfully inventive and sweet Guaca Matcha Sans Rival (P 235/slice), a decadent layered butter avocado cream cake with cashew meringue and Japanese matcha frosting. The distinct notes of the sweet avocado, creamy butter, nutty cashews, and matcha frosting weave a rich tapestry of flavors, complementing the other for a delicate balance.

UCC Cafe served an impressive trio of desserts, with the Japanese Green Tea Brick Toast (P 350), with a soft buttered matcha brick toast topped with peaches, nata de coco, red beans, vanilla matcha ice cream, and drizzled with warm chocolate. The different components of the dessert offer a medley of vibrant flavors, and the infusion of matcha works perfectly.

And if you still can't get enough of matcha, there's the green tea-flavored Crepes with Peaches and Cream (P 220, L) and Wild Strawberry (P 200, R) from Crepes and Cream. The mildly bitter notes of the matcha balances the sweetness of the dessert for another winning pair.

The Oreo Crusted Kyoto Cheesecake (P 228) by Mr. Kurosawa is another matcha-inspired dessert, a no-bake Oreo crusted cheesecake infused with matcha and Oreo bits topped with a fresh strawberry. Sweet, mildly bitter and tart, contrasting well with the rich cream cheese, and yet another play on balanced flavors.

Cafe Creole offered their spin on matcha with a jazzed-up milkshake, the Swamp Shake (P 285), a thick green matcha vanilla milkshake with almond essence and dark chocolate capped with marshamallow s'mores, green tea cookie, Japanese wafer sticks, and sprinkled with matcha dust. The addition of matcha balances the richness and pairs well with the dark chocolate and marshmallows. But there's more. The month-long celebration of matcha at Resorts World Manila includes the Matcha Green Tea Latte and Matcha Green Tea Ice-Blended by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, the Matcha Soft-Serve by Ichiba, the Uji Pyramid Slush, Hazelnut Matcha Slush, and Matcha Latte by Serenitea, and the Seared Matcha Salmon and Matcha Macaron by TWG.

And if you want to bring home even more matcha flavors, head on over to The Plaza at Newport Mall for the Matcha Weekend Market. Take home special matcha treats from Cafe Maxims and a variety of other matcha products from the participating stalls...

...like these Uji Matcha and Sakura Matcha variants from KitKat. And for matcha fans, you have one whole month to indulge and savor the rich flavors of matcha in a wide selection of dishes and products at Resorts World Manila's Matcha Festival.

Need a matcha fix? Walk the green matcha mile at Resorts World Manila's Matcha Festival for the ultimate matcha fix.

Resorts World Manila is located at Newport Boulevard, Newport City, Pasay City, Metro Manila. For more information on the country's first ever Matcha Festival at Resorts World Manila and Newport Mall, you may contact the Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Concierge at 709-9888, 709-0888, 0917-838-0111 or visit http://megaworldlifestylemalls.com.

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